Forest Health Protection

Many landowners have little knowledge about timber harvesting. As a result, they risk making uninformed decisions that can lead to negative impacts on forest resources and unintended financial consequences. Landowners may accept the first offer for a harvest without having an estimate of their woodlands’ potential value. They may also unintentionally allow “high-grading,” which removes high quality trees and leaves only poorer quality trees. Research has shown that active management enhances the resource value.

Since 2006, Illinois has been battling the tree-killing invasive insect emerald ash borer (EAB) with a combination of management techniques individually adapted to its affected communities. As the ash borer spreads from one town to another, city managers and their staff are aggressively looking for ways to address this invasive species issue. Depending on the communities’ ash populations, their economic situations, and their long-term goals, some municipalities are opting to chemically treat a limited number of their valued ash.

The Challenge The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an insect native to Asia that is considered an invasive species here in North America. It was first detected near Detroit, MI, in 2002 and has since spread across 22 States and parts of Canada. In this short time the insect has killed millions of ash trees and currently threatens the entire North American ash family. Minnesota has possibly more ash trees than any other State and features extensive black ash forests associated with wetlands in its northern half.

The primary purpose of this handbook is to help resource managers make informed decisions in preparing management plans and to provide an information bridge between managers with hemlock stands that are, or will be, infested with hemlock woolly adelgid, and the foresters who will implement salvage and rehabilitation activities. This handbook summarizes current scientific knowledge of the impact of hemlock woolly adelgid on eastern hemlock forests and the processes involved in rehabilitating hemlock stands that have been, or will be, damaged by hemlock woolly adelgid.

Bacterial leaf scorch (BLS) of amenity trees is caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, a xylem-limited pathogen that causes water stress resulting in leaf scorch, decline, and eventual death of affected trees. Recent surveys indicate that BLS is widespread throughout the eastern United States. In New Jersey, BLS primarily affects red and pin oak landscape and street trees.

Mile-a-minute weed is particularly threatening to forest regeneration by out-competing tree seedlings. It is extremely difficult to eradicate with a single herbicide application due to prolonged seed persistence in the soil.

This diagnostic guide was developed to help forestry professionals, forest woodland managers, and homeowners identify and manage the most common diseases of oak trees in Midwestern States. It discusses the most common diseases of oak, some of which can be easily confused with others. It compares and contrasts key features of each disease to help you distinguish one disease from another. Revised in 2017.

This publication offers an overview of the northeastern forests and some of the major challenges and opportunities for sustaining them, as identified by the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry and the Northeastern Area Association of State Foresters. Our goal is to raise awareness of the condition of the forests as a starting point for landowner discussions and management actions aimed at ensuring a strong future.